IT'S GOING TO GET COLD OUTSIDE

The Hill Spirit knows that almost everyone is watching the bowl games today but you might want to take the time to do some "it's going to get really cold next week" chores.  If you read the blog, you were given early notice that it is going to be colder than normal this winter.  Some of you were early birds and got your house ready during the warm days of November; there were several of those.  However, most of us wait until the last minute to get our "to do list" done.

1.  

If you want to get ready for the cold today (be sure to read post about January cold),  here is a check off list.

1. take outdoor Christmas decorations down
2.  
3. be sure to unscrew water hoses and bring them in
4.  
5. install covers over outside faucets
6.  
7. Install window insulators. Window insulators are simply plastic sheets you tape up over windows to add an extra layer of protection from the cold.     Blankets and quilts will work too.  
8.  
9. Turn off exterior water lines. Chances are you won’t be using any of the water faucets outside of your home, so shut the valve that allows water to those exterior ones (don't forget to drain the water out when you do).  This prevents the water inside from freezing and cracking your pipes.
   
   Wrap your hot water heater. Since it’ll be cold, it’s more important than ever to invest in a water heater blanket and wrap your water heater so it loses less heat.  
   
   Flip the switch on your ceiling fan. This one is really easy, just flip the rotation direction on your ceiling fans. As hot air rises in the winter, you want the fan to blow upward and slowly. 
   
   From channel 48:
   
   A strong cold front will pass through North Alabama during the early afternoon hours.  Temperatures will be around freezing by sunset Thursday.  Some flurries or light snow showers will be possible briefly as the moisture moves out. Temperatures will continue to fall to around 20 degrees Friday morning.  Friday afternoon will be cloudy and cold with highs around freezing. 
   
   
   Temperatures will recover into the 40s this weekend before our next arctic cold front moves in. You should prepare now for some extreme cold beginning early next week.  The way it looks now we will have several days where the afternoon highs will remain below freezing . Tuesday's high will likely be in the lower to middle 20s with overnight lows in the teens.  Morning lows could fall into the single digits with afternoon highs in the teens later next week.
   
   When it does get cold next week (below freezing) and most of you have houses built on slabs or crawlspaces, remember to:
   
   Let the faucets drip, especially on sinks near outdoor walls. You are keeping the water moving through the pipes. If the water is just sitting there it has time to freeze and break. We want to keep the water moving through there and that will help.
   
   Another easy thing to do is to keep the cabinet doors under the sink open. That lets the heat from your house move in and around that plumbing to keep the pipes from freezing.
   If the pipes do freeze, never use an open flame to try to thaw a pipe, instead use a hair drier.